Peace Corps with Greg and Kevina: The Wind Blew the Umbrella Upside Down: Steve's Story

Steve and us outside our house.

Tuesday

After Greg sent Mike and Anthony on the early express bus we began 'Steve week' not unlike the much anticipated 'shark week' on Discovery. Steve stayed an extra week and wanted to spend more time in the vill and have some adventures. We started off the week with myself getting sick and spent a night in a PG hotel (sometimes a latrine is not so fun when your sick). It was an air conditioned treat for steve and we lounged around watching 90's movies.

Wednesday

We came home on the 12:00 market bus and we all slept till four then watched a movie. It was a long crazy week so we didn't feel too guilty about not doing anything.

Thursday

I woke up early to start washing in the buckets ( I had about 4 loads to do and can't carry that

many buckets to the creek) the boys went visiting. We were invited over for caldo so after I finished washing I headed over to the Choc's. It was Steve's first time eating 'local chicken' and it was all delicious of course. When we got home Mr. Choco was already working on a bookshelf for the school (with wood donated by TFABB) so we all walked over and started to help (even though we all wanted to nap). Steve ended up making all the calculations and the bookshelf turned out really great! Greg delighted our pallets with his Peace Corps special- Ramen Pad Thai. Folks yous hould try this at home, here's what you'll need:Greg's Pad Thai Ramen

-1 pack ramen per person

-Fresh ginger sliced thinly

-lime

-peanut butter (about a tablespoon per serving)

-Finely chopped garlic, onions, and

carrots

-1 egg per two servings

*Sauté all veggies and ginger with

half a seasoning packet per serving.

Then break up ramen noodles and

add to the pot with water to just

cover noodles. Bring to a simmer then add peanut butter. Squeeze fresh lime on top before serving. ENJOY!

* The bottom of this building is Cotton Tree Chocolate: The Chocolate Center of the Universe*

FRIDAY

The day started early with the boys going to the farm. The following is a dictated account from Greg: Santiago hailed us at

7 AM and said, 'five minutes Greg, I will go.' So we got the bikes,

loaded the machette on the bike and donned our rain boots. The three of us set off along with four liters of water and a liter of Oral Rehydration Salts (lesson learned from my first trip to the farm). We went down 'farmers' road' a dirt path six miles into the jungle.

The first farm we passed was the Choco's. Then as we continued on he would point out and say, "and this is Chun's farm" "This is Choc's farm" etc. You could easily identify the farms and boarders by their neat rows and chopped land even though they were without fences or markings of any kind. The landscape began to change to rolling hills as we delved deeper into the Maya Mountains. At which point we hid our bikes along a random

piece of chain link fence (none of the farms had barricades or fences so it is a mystery how such a piece of man made wonder could get deep into the jungle). We were pretty much at Mr. Santiago's farm, just a short, shady, stroll through another resident's cacao plantation. At this point we are walking through knee high bush and my mind begins to fixate on the possibility of snakes. I was unnerved to discover Mr. Santiago shaking his machette in front of his feet as we walked. My extensive Belize knowledge told me this was to scare off any snakes so of course I immediately began doing the same...Steve was behind me and therefore safe. He showed us his corn, black beans, red beans, and how to eat the middle of a young plantain tree by chopping it down the middle and pulling out the heart. You also chop the old plantain plants high so the beans can then grow up the stocks and don't

have to be staked. It was really quiet and peaceful. He took us to the shack that he shucks his corn in and also sometimes takes a rest in his hammock there. While we were walking he suddenly stopped to point out where his dog, Spotty, was eaten right before his eyes by a jaguar. We walked back to our bikes where Mr. Santiago told us he had been hired to spray someone's farm. After assuring him we knew the way back he took off for another farm and we made our way back home stopping to take pictures of the rolling hills of green jungle. All this and we were home by 9. -Greg Casaletto dictated but not read

Shortly after we returned Lynette came to warn us that some of her brothers were drunk. There was much fighting and we were brought a

mirror that they didn't want broken. Mr. Santiago came home and lashed his son then tied him up in the kitchen so that he would stop fighting and breaking things. The situation was almost immediately diffused and the guys were sent to bathe and then to bed. After things settled down we went to sit with Mrs. Cecilia. We heard some pop shot sounds and then saw villagers running all over. Immediately our current went out and Mr. Santiago came running out of his house explaining that there was fault in the wire somewhere and that the way the village is wired any juncture could start exploding so he had to throw their switch. Greg and steve went over with the rest of the village to watch as the mango tree sparked and the family stood at the roadside in horror hoping their thatch below the tree would not catch fire. It took about 2 hours for the electric company to come. It was the talk of the village for the duration of Steve's visit.

Saturday

We took the early bus into PG and had breakfast at the Snack Shack, of course running into several PCVs. We walked over to the tiny chocolate factor down the road and had a tour. Free and to the point with two tasters! We bought BBQ at the park and headed out to San Antonio with Rion and Laura. We walked out to his falls and Kevin (a police officer and good friend of Rion's) and his buddies were there too. Steve jumped off over and over again as we wadded in the cool water or just hung out on the falls talking. It was very refreshing after the hot hike on the hilly dirt road. Steve got to expericen the Jalacte bus. It blasted spanish romantic music and the kid infront of steve kept staring at him. The bus stopped in Big Falls. As we sat in the steam room of a bus (it was raining so all the windows were up) everyone looking around or out the window, the bus driver had some beers seemingly unaware of everyone's discomfort/safety. We made it home for dinner.

Sunday

Our morning was spent packing and cleaning. I went over with Saturnina and Virginia to help bake tortillas for our cahoon cabbage lunch...my favorite! We sat with Mr. Santiago and he told us about different construction jobs he's done and we thanked him again for being so great to all our guests. We headed off to PG. We went over to Dicky Ps where we watched a documentary about 'man eaters: when tigers hunt man' great. The boys went over to check out Ocean-View Bar. We finished off the night at a Chinese restaurant where we all got different deep fried burgers...I wanted something not fried so I assumed a 'beef burger would be a plain hamburger. Only in Belize would you deep fry beef to serve as a burger.

Monday

Steve and Greg caught the 6AM express and went to hang out at the Peace Corps office all day then to Belize City to stay with Pat and Kerri. Steve flew back to the United States of America on Tuesday with a bag full of Marie Sharps hot sauce and a smile.

Thomas and the Hurricane

Steve: "I can't really see these words."

Greg: "Yeah, just make something up'"

Steve: "The wind blew hard and the wind blew strong. The

wind blew the umbrella upside down."

Greg: "Nice steve."

Steve's Visitor Survey:

1. Dates of Visit: July 6^th – July 20^th

2. Itinerary: See the entire country south of Belize City in the first week. Then take it easy the second week and live the “village life”.

3. Weather: Mostly sunny with some afternoon thunderstorms. A lot like home, except no A/C to retreat to.

4. Money spent: About 300 USD.

5. Souvenirs taken back: Map of Belize, beer coozie, hacky sack, and a backpack full of Marie Sharp’s Hot Sauce.

6. Something that surprised you: How less sketchy some of the towns were after walking around them once or twice, especially those which we originally arrived after dark.

7. Something you learned: A nod and a smile go a long way. The more open you are to trying new things, the more new things people will want you to try.

8. Something you wish was in America: Marie Sharp’s, local “fast food” spots, and cheap, non-sketchy bus rides anywhere you want to go.

9. Favorite part: is it a cop out to say the entire trip? Food was great, sites were amazing, prices were right, and I got to spend two weeks with some of my best friends. It doesn’t get much better.

10. Hardest part: Walking miles on end on days when I forgot to powder.

11. Funny story: Greg and I went to visit his friend, Renando. It happened to be the day after his birthday so he was having a big lunch. He invited us to stay for the meal of rice and beans and freshly slaughtered rooster, of course we accepted! He said to text Kevina and tell her we would eat around 1 o’clock if she wanted to come over. I looked at my watch, it was 11 am. Just when I was wondering how we were going to kill 2 hours at Renando’s house he asks, “Ever seen Cool Runnings?” “Yes” we replied. “Wanna watch it again?” Greg and I could barely hold back from laughing, and immediately agreed to watch one of our favorite Disney movies before lunch. During the movie, his fat son (I was told it was ok to say that) sat on the floor and recited EVERY word. It was actually pretty impressive.

12. Celebrity spotting: I thought Mayan Sean Penn was pretty impressive.

13. Other Peace Corps Volunteers you met: Adam, Katie, Nate, Michelle, Laura, Rion, Taylor, Sam, Erica, Alicia, Dicky P, Pat and Keri.

14. Illnesses or injuries: Got sick from taking Dramamine, and kicked a bucket on the boat and lifted my toe nail. Other than that I did pretty good. Bugs didn’t seem to want to bite me as much as everyone else.

15. Thoughts on your visit: It was definitely the best trip I’ve been on. I met a lot of really nice people, ate really good foods, and went to places I never would have thought to go. I can’t wait to get back down there and see the rest of Belize!

16. Advice to the next visitor: Don’t be afraid to try anything and everything. Talk to locals and listen to what they have to say. Cram as many activities in the time you have, and document it well, you’re not going to want to forget a single moment.